Flouride flustered

Its everywhere  and you may getting too much

Untitled Document
Why do some people complain about fluoride in
drinking water and toothpaste? I thought it was beneficial for dental
health. Communities began adding fluoride to water supplies
in the early 1940s after decades of studies of why some Colorado residents
were exhibiting a discoloration or mottling of the teeth but at the same
time very low rates of actual decay. The culprit turned out to be high
concentrations of a naturally occurring fluoride that was running off into
the water from Pike’s Peak after rainfalls. Research later concluded
that adding small, controlled amounts of fluoride into public water
supplies would act as a form of community-wide cavity prevention without
causing the undesirable mottling known at the time as “Colorado
stain.”Today, supporters of fluoridation cite research from
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that the very
inexpensive fluoridation of drinking water has since been correlated with
significant reductions in incidences of tooth decay (15-40 percent) in
communities across the country. But skeptics worry that we may be getting
too much of a good thing. Although small amounts of fluoride will prevent
tooth decay, excessive amounts can lead not only to irreversible tooth
discoloration (today called “fluorosis”) but also to other
health issues, including an increased risk of bone breakage and
osteoporosis. The problem, says the Fluoride Action Network, which
is opposed to fluoridation, is that the very water supplies that are
treated for dental purposes are also used in the making of many common food
products — from baby formula and cereal to juices, sodas, wines,
beers, and even fresh produce. And with most toothpastes also adding
fluoride, many people are ingesting far more fluoride than they should. The main concern for most people is the discoloration
of children’s second teeth once the baby teeth are gone. Besides
being embarrassing, there is no cure. Some doctors worry that excessive
fluoride may actually be promoting tooth decay rather than preventing it
— and harming kids in other ways, particularly as they get older. FAN
cites studies showing how low to moderate doses of fluoride can lead to
eczema, reduced thyroid activity, hyperactivity, IQ deficits, premature
puberty, and even bone cancer.On the other side of the debate, concerns have risen
that our increased reliance on nonfluoridated bottled water instead of tap
water may be leading to increases in tooth decay (some bottled waters have
added fluoride). However, speaking in a May 2002 UPI Science News article, John
W. Stamm, dean of the School of Dentistry at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill and a spokesperson for the American Dental
Association, said, “It’s very important to realize that there
are many sources for body fluids. . . . The fact that one may be consuming
variable amounts of bottled water seems to me to be insufficient reason to
be concerned about a fluoride deficient diet.”Avoiding fluoride is difficult for those whose local
water is fluoridated. And the only filters that can strain fluoride from
water are expensive ones that employ reverse osmosis, activated alumina, or
distillation. Switching to unfluoridated toothpaste — many varieties
are available from natural health retailers — is one way to cut down
on fluoride intake, especially for those who swallow toothpaste when they
are brushing. For more information:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/oralhealth;
Fluoride Action Network, www.fluoridealert.org.Send questions to Earth Talk, care of E/The Environmental Magazine,
P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 or e-mail earthtalk@emagazine.com.